Wildcard
by PrincessLedger
Summary: You become entranced by a man that wears face paint. The Joker proposes you work for him one day. Will you accept? Or will you be forced to work against your will?


On the corner of Van Beuren and S Franklin St, I was waiting for the light to turn into a 'WALK' sign. I checked the time on my watch, I was five minutes late.

Great, my boss was going to kill me.

I leaned up against the light pole, and sighed. I was taken aback by a man dressed in a dark grey suit shuffling up to the corner of the sidewalk, carrying a dusty blue duffel bag and a clown mask. I couldn't really make out his face as he stood with his back to me, but he had green-dyed hair which was fading away. He looked to be a robber of some sort, so I opted to stay quiet and mind my own business. I could feel the man's eyes burning holes in my head, but I didn't dare look up from the ground.

The sound of people walking and minding their own business filled the silence, making me wonder why no one else noticed this man.

I heard tires screech and an Chevrolet Suburban came to a halt at the corner where the man and I were standing. I looked up and saw the man quickly put on his mask and jump in the backseat, before speeding away.

A feeling of relief washed over me, but was soon replaced by panic as I realised that I missed the time to cross the road.

~

I quickly ran into my boss' office and began trying to explain the situation beforehand.

"I'm so sorry I'm late there was some guy with a mask standing on the sidewalk and-"

"You're fired," he calmly said before lighting up a cigarette and taking a puff.

"Please, sir. I need this job, I promise this will never happen again," I pleaded. I was a waitress at a small diner that didn't pay very well, but it was better than living on the street.

He cackled and leaned back in his large leather chair. "That's what you said last time. Now scram." He didn't even spare me a second glance as I slowly turned around and shut the door behind me.

I sighed and dragged my feet out the small building. I slowly trudged my way down the street, wallowing in self-pity. I was going to lose my small shitty apartment if I didn't find another job anytime soon. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as I began to have a meltdown about my future.

Very abruptly, the sound of crumbling bricks broke me out of my trance, and up ahead I saw a school bus driving out of Gotham National Bank, blending into other school buses. I couldn't believe my eyes as I stood in shock. I tried to see who the bus driver was, and actually made eye contact with him. I only had a glance, but he was covered in white face paint, black around his eyes, red stretching across his lips and cheeks, and green hair.

~

Out of all the days I've lived in the Narrows, today is the day I get assaulted.

"Get OFF of me! Help!" I scream from the top of my lungs while scratching and clawing.

"No one is gonna help ya here, toots. You're all mine..." The man in a black hoodie sneers while pinning me against the alleyway next to my apartment building. The stench of his alcohol stained breath was making me gag. Tears began streaming down my face, the man had previously kicked my purse away which conveniently had my pepper spray. The hooded man overpowered me in terms of strength; therefor, I had no chance of getting away. He had pinned my hands by my side, and locked my legs in place with his own. My arms and legs began loosing the battle of protecting me, my breath was shortening, and my head lolled back against the wall.

Out of nowhere a gunshot rang through my ears, and hands were no longer grabbing me. I glanced down and the man was laying lifeless on the ground with a bullet hole between his eyes.

Trying to see who my savoir was, my eyes moved once more onto the other person in my presence. The guy who was driving the school bus.

My eyes widened in shock, as I couldn't conjure up any words to escape my lips. The man, my knight in shining armour, smirked at me, "You uh didn't see anything." He then turned on his heels and walked away.

"Wait!" The man in white face paint paused his footsteps.

I ran up behind him and shakily rang my hands together. "I-I should at least thank you somehow. You saved my life."

He giggled and turned to look at me. "It uh wasn't personal. He uh stole something that was uh mine."

Of course he didn't do it out of kindness. Stupid of me to think otherwise.

"Well, you still deserve a reward of some kind." After seeing him up close I noticed a huge gash on the back of his right hand. "I could help sew up that cut you have," I pointed right at it.

His eyebrows pushed together in confusion. "Oh. Didn't even uh notice."

"Wait right here. I live in this building, I just have to grab some things then I'll stitch you right up," I said with a bright smile before running up to my apartment.

Why am I helping a mysterious stranger?

He saved your life.

But he said he didn't do it for my sake.

But he's kinda hot.

My face burned up at the last thought, my mind was all over the place.

After getting the medical supplies, I ran back outside. I was half expecting the man to be gone, but shockingly he was still there. I gestured for him to sit against the brick wall, and he slowly slid down with his legs stretched out. He resembled a child with how loosely he was holding himself. I crouched down beside him and lifted his injured hand, that was covered in dry blood.

"Do you uh have a name?" the man asked while I blotted his hand with alcohol.

"Y/N. Yours?"

"Joker. You'll uh probably be hearing it all over the news soon."

He's probably talking about the robbery.

You have a crush on a criminal.

"Oh. Why's that?" I played innocent.

He looked me in the eyes, which caused me to get lost in his own dark brown ones. He startled me by suddenly speaking, "I think we uh both know why, doll."

I blushed a deep red, as he laughed under his breath.

"You uh surprised me by not uh calling the cops when you saw me this morning-ah."

I blushed even harder. Why didn't I call the police? Was it because I was too scared to move? No, I remember moving just fine and the thought of calling 911 never crossed my mind. Then why?

"You a uh nurse or something?" He asked while studying the particular stitching pattern on his hand.

"No, I went to medical school for a year, but had to drop out because of finance reasons," I sighed, "since I was little I always wanted to be a nurse or doctor, but now it seems like the world is telling me not to be."

"The uh world is a cruel place, doll."

"Ain't that the truth." We both laughed. After our laughter died out, we were met by a comfortable silence. I've never felt this relaxed with someone I just met in my whole twenty-four years of living. I slowly began packing my supplies back into my first aid bag, and stood up.

"Now that we're even, I'll uh leave now," he smiled at me, "see you around, doll."

He left before I could even respond, leaving behind the scent of gunpowder.


End file.
